StarCraft On Liberty's Wings
by TheRedAuthar
Summary: StarCraft On Liberty's Wings is a NON-PROFIT Fan Novelization of StarCraft II Wings of Liberty, following my personal opinion on how the Story should unfold.
1. Chapter 1

StarCraft

_On Liberty's Wings_

* * *

DISCLAIMER

I do not have or claim to have any ownership of StarCraft, StarCraft II, the StarCraft Novels, Comics, or Spin-Offs.

StarCraft on Liberty's Wings is a NON-PROFIT Fan Novelization of the Blizzard Game StarCraft II Wings of Liberty. More specifically, based upon how I believe the story should unfold, following the choices I made in the game, as well as taking some Artistic Licensing. As I'm a big fan of the StarCraft Lore in general, the story will reference not only events from the first and second game in the series, but also the Official Novels and Comics. If you are unfamiliar with the events I'm referencing or just wanna know more, feel free to ask questions.

Also as this story follows my opinion of how the story should unfold, it may not follow the same as your experience with the game or how you believe the story should unfold. Don't let my Fan Novelization ruin the experience for you.

Special Thanks to ZenWriterZero's Fan Fictions Wings of Liberty and Scoundrel for inspiring me to write my own Fan Fiction. Hope to see yours update again soon.

* * *

_They say a man never really knows himself... until his freedom's been taken away._

_I wonder...how well do you know yourself?_

Former Confederate Marshal James Eugene Raynor groaned as he lifted his head off the bar, wondering how long he'd been wasted.

Raynor fumbled through his pockets for his phone, finally finding it already out on the bar, next to an unfortunately empty bottle of whatever-it-was. Two Hours? Like Swann said, Raynor needed to cut back on the sauce. Of Course Raynor was already reaching for another bottle as this train of thought motored through his head.

Reaching over the bar for said bottle, Jim also grabbed up the remote for the Vid Screen, and thumbed it to the Universal News Network. It wasn't the most reliable source of information out there, fekk that, it was downright lies more than half the time, but still Jimmy could use it to see what Mengsk was up to, or at least what Korhal thought about his actions.

Unfortunately it was about some War Memorial, something Jim didn't care for. Sure he fought in the Brood Wars, mighty proudly in fact, but the wars had also been filled with horrid and downright regrettable and sad memories. Memories that Jim wasn't in the mood to relive.

Ignoring Donny's introduction, Jim hobbled over to the Jukebox and smiled. He remembered the time he first saw the blasted thing. Jimmy and ol'Tychus had just barely boarded a train back on….

No. Tychus wasn't who Raynor wanted to think about right now. Remembering Tychus brought back painful memories, which only opened the flood gates for even more. Shaking his head, in an attempt to shake out the memories, the ex-Marshal pulled out a coin and stuck it into the slot, which started the thing up. He began scrolling through a list of music, finally settling on Jem's Tune, a song that was virtually banned throughout the Terran Dominion.

"Just the tune the leader of a pack of Rebels should be listening to," Raynor said to nobody in particular. Come to think of it, and a quick look around the room to confirm, JoeyRay's Bar was empty other than Raynor himself. JoeyRay must have stepped out sometime ago. It didn't bother Jim none, JoeyRay let the Rebel have free range of the place, specifically when it came to the Jukebox, which Raynor had "lent" the barman.

Jim knelt down next to the box, and fished a small key from his vest pocket. He then unlocked the small chamber that held onto to the money that had gone through the machine. Taking out the box that contained the coins he shook it, and after finding it full, brought it back over to the bar. Seating himself on the stool he had been on early, he poured the coins out onto the counter and began counting them, also taking the one he put in back. After dividing up the coins, and tossing out what appeared to be an old washer somebody got the music box to read as a coin, Raynor put half of them into JoeyRay's tip jar, and the other half into a small bag he carried on his belt. The coins hadn't added up evenly so Jim decided to throw the extra into the tip jar. As much as the Raynor's Raiders needed money, one small coin wasn't going to make enough difference.

Counting money got Jim back to thinking about Tychus. So he turned his attention back to the news briefly before being unable to resist any longer. He then pulled the small picture from his vest.

"Sarah…" he breathed. Her Red hair stood out beautifully in the picture. Her slight smile and tilt of head, Jim couldn't even remember when he took the dang thing or if he didn't how he got it. It pained him to look at it, but he was unable to avert his gaze.

Sarah Kerrigan was just another friend, well more than a friend, that Jim had lost over the years. Tom Omar, Jim's buddy back from his home on Shiloh, who had died from wounds he received after following Jim's orders when they had first joined the Confederate Marines. Connor Ward, another war buddy, one who had become part of the Squad known as The Heaven's Devils with Raynor, who died sacrificing himself to save the rest of the squad. The same fate suffered Max Zander who had last second tried to rescue some civilians who had been caught in the crossfire. And Hank Harrigan, an old rival of Jim's who later became one of his closest friends, had been put down so he wouldn't have to suffer the agonizing pain of burning alive.

The man who put poor Hank out of his misery had been Ark Bennet, or Ryk Kydd as Raynor preferred, another Devil who had managed to escape with him and Tychus, only to later be murdered by a bounty hunter who had been put on their trail. The deaths didn't stop there either. Hiram Feek, who was just as much part of The Heaven's Devils as anyone, though wasn't officially, had also been murdered by the same blasted bounty hunter. Jim spat at the thought of Daun.

Daun also was partially related to Tychus's downfall. Though the big man may yet live, last Jim knew off was Findlay being locked away, probably for good. Tychus had been Jim's best friend for a long time. It hurt still to know the only reason Jim was here today was that Tychus stayed behind to save him.

Then there was Liddy. Oh beautiful, wonderful Liddy. James had gone out and married her. She was a wonderful woman, who he had shared a son with. "Had" was the word. Little John had a gift, psionic powers, so the Confederacy had demanded he be sent to them for study, under the guise of a schooling deal. John supposedly died in transportation. The death had taken its toll heavy on Liddy. She never was able to cope with it, always blaming herself.

Until it killed her.

Miles Hammond wasn't around too much longer after that either, though luckily the old man had died of old age. Miles had been the Magistrate of Mar Sara, who had help clean up Jim's record and the reason he'd become a Marshal there. Miles's replacement had been just as good a man.

Jim poured himself another glass of whatever-it-was-he-didn't-care. The flavor was terrible but he filled it up again.

"The Commander" as the Raiders had affectionately referred to him as, had been with Raynor when he joined up with Mengsk to fight the Confederates. Nearly every victory credited to Emperor Mengsk could be credited to The Commander, Sarah Kerrigan, Michael Liberty, or James Raynor himself.

But Megnsk betrayed them, and Sarah was left to die at the hands of the Zerg.

Not long after that Mike, Jim, and the Commander left the Sons of Korhal. Jim was the only one that remained. Mike had gone off to become a freelance, pirate being the more accurate term, broadcaster. The Commander, Jim had no idea what happened to him, but considering Mengsk didn't put much effort in tracking him down, he was likely dead.

Or worse.

New friends also appeared. Raynor was one of the few Terrans in the Korpulu Sector who actually befriended the Protoss. Fenix had been one of his greatest friends. The two fought side by side in many battles.

The Queen of Blades Murdered Fenix. Raynor had allied himself with her to take down the United Earth-whatever-they-were-called, along with Emperor Mengsk and his Dominion. The Queen of Blades betrayed them. Stabbed them in the back while they were unprepared, and Fenix was the one who paid the price.

The Queen of Blades…..Sarah Kerrigan.

Tears filled Jim's Eyes. They had gone out of their way to try and save Sarah. They tried to find a cure. At one time they were sure they had one, but the Dominion stole it away before the Raiders were able to confirm if it was successful. Another of Jim's friends, a man named Bud Morris, had died trying to secure that cure.

"Jim Raynor represents a clear and present threat to this Dominion! He is an unscrupulous, lawless revolutionary bent on spreading fear and desertion across the sector! He and his ragtag band of miscreants have instigated open rebellion across the separate worlds - and stolen vast amounts of Dominion weapons and hardware!"

Jim looked back up at the News feed. Arcturus Mengsk, Emperor of the Terran Dominion, dictator, tyrant, traitor, and just all around scumbag, was calling him a "lawless, revolutionary".

"I assure you, this criminal will be brought to justice... very soon," the feed continued.

Jimmy's blood boiled. He reached down to the holster on his hip and drew his revolver, and took aim at the screen, "It ain't over 'till it's over, you son of a b…" The sound of the shot swallowed up the last bit of his curse, but rather than censor, it seemed to emphasize.

The bullet went straight through the head of the tyrant on the news feed on one of the smaller of the three screens. The screen flickered just briefly before shutting down for good. The other two larger screens also flickered before returning back to the News Feed, but Raynor was no longer paying attention.

Instead he had turned his focus to the small metal case that sat at the end of the bar. Quickly thumbing in the passcode that unlocked the case, Jimmy flipped it opened and flipped on the holotransmitter inside. A blue-ish, green light arose from the center of the devise which then formed the image of a female figure. Her features weren't unattractive, but of course the synthetic nature of them also didn't make her unugly either.

"Commander," the Adjutant acknowledged Raynor.

"Adjutant," Jimmy acknowledged back, "Are my troops ready for action?"

"Your forces are prepared and awaiting your orders, Commander," she replied back, "Uploading tactical data now."

A smile crept of the leader of the Raynor's Raiders's face, "Good, it's about time we kicked this Revolution into overdrive."

Taking a moment to reload his pistol, and finish the remainder of the liquid that had been in his glass, Raynor turned to the large metal suit stored in off to the side of the bar. Its color was black with a bright orange-gold visor. A large Skull was painted white across the visor giving it an intimidating look.

"Better get dressed for the party."


	2. Chapter 2

StarCraft

_On Liberty's Wings_

Chapter Two

* * *

Backwater Station.

Backwater Station had been the turning point for both the ex-Marshal and ex-Magistrate of Mar Sara. According to the stories, Marshal Raynor and the a Squad of Mar Sara Militia Marines and Firebats had made their way to the station, fighting off the dreaded Zerg off at every corner, to save the folks at Backwater Station after they sent out a request for help. However when they got there they burned the base down instead. The Dominion Claimed this was Raynor's first act of open rebellion against the Confederacy, and one of the reasons why he had been considered an Ally of the Sons of Korhal.

However, Mar Sara never really liked the Dominion, as they had always loved their local Marshal. They knew the truth, even if they had been forbidden to say it. Raynor and his Militia had burned the station because it had become infested by the Zerg. Mike Liberty managed to even capture a small amount of footage of the event. Though the Dominion had attempted to censor it, Mar Sara knew the truth.

That was why Raynor came back. That's why he came to save those who still had faith in him after four long years. That's why Mar Sara will never be pushed around by the Dominion's Forces. That is why the Raiders and the Mar Sara Militia were going to win.

That's what young Michel Koiter kept telling himself over and over again as the dropship carried him, Marshal James Raynor, and 4 other Marines. Koiter considered Raynor still Mar Sara's lawman, if not just out of respect, for out of pure desire to keep the legend alive. Four years ago Koiter and his family had been evacuated from Mar Sara by the Sons of Korhal, being rescued by heroes such as Marshal James Raynor, News Reporter Michel Liberty, and of course The Magistrate of Mar Sara, who Koiter had never met in person.

However he had saw Liberty and Raynor in person. Even four years ago, he dreamed of fighting by their side, helping to liberate planets from the Confederate scum, and protecting those who couldn't protect themselves, but alas, four years ago he was just a kid, nowhere near old enough to fight. He had to sit out both conflicts that followed with the rest of the refugees. However once Mar Sara had become habitable again, Koiter's family moved back home, where Koiter had been one of the first to volunteer to be part of the new Mar Sara Militia. The Proud Blue Colors that stood for the Militia had been replaced by Yellowish Green Color, but Koiter didn't really care, he wore the uniform with pride.

Now he felt a bit out of place surrounded by the professional Raiders, in their Proud, yet worn out, Blue Suits. His Yellow-Green Suit seemed a bit stood out a bit too much, but then again so did Commander Raynor's Black one.

"Alright boys," Raynor turned to the Marines, "We're nearing the drop zone. Let's go over this one more time, just in case a few of you dozed off the last few times the plan was explained."

Laughter rippled through the troops. Koiter couldn't bring himself to laugh, the nerves wouldn't let him, but he did manage to smile, and calm down a bit. He hadn't seen any real combat. Sure there were times he suited up, fired weapons, and looked tough, but never had he had to shoot anything more than a lone Zergling or practice dummies, let alone another Terran. If the Dominion hadn't started the fekking dig site, and brought their own troops to enforce the laws, Koiter probably wouldn't have been able to stomach this.

However, the Dominion was pushing around the wrong group of colonists, and Koiter wasn't going to let that slide. Not when the colonists could do something about it. Not when Raynor and his boys were here to back them up.

"Alright kid," Raynor turned and looked directly at Koiter, "Give it to us one more time."

"Sir," Koiter stood up, "Backwater Station is the center of Dominion Logistics on Mar Sara. Destroying Dominion Authority here should be disrupted. The People of Backwater Station are largely anti-Dominion, but we lack the weapons and organization to resist them."

"Recently," Raynor Continued, "Dominion Troops were pulled out of the city, leaving their defenses at their weakest. If we can knock out the Dominion Headquarters here, we can severely cripple Megnks's grip on this planet."

A whooping Hoorah can back from the troops.

"That's right," Raynor nodded, "We're finally going to get back into this fight. Tell 'em what they're up against kid."

"Right," Koiter continued, "For the most part, the Dominion had only standard Marines guarding Backwater, however a flight of Vikings are at their disposal. Most of the pilots are undertrained, giving us ample time to take them down before they can switch to ground combat, but by no means are they to be taken lightly."

"Anything else?"

"There are a couple Firebats that were transferred down recently, as well as a large number of Hellions. Likely they were moved out of the city, but we shouldn't take any chances."

"Good call," Raynor patted the kid on the shoulder, "We hit the ground in five. If we're lucky, we'll land outside of the patrol area. Unlikely considering my last few card games."

This sent another chuckle through the troops. It wasn't all that funny, but Koiter managed to laugh this time too.

* * *

Something was wrong. The landing zone was not only clear, but it was practically empty. Scratch that, it was fekking empty. Jimmy didn't like it. This was too easy. Nothing was ever this easy for him. It made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck.

The Kid, Koiter, looked pretty nervous about it too. He kept looking at the houses for signs of life. That bothered Raynor as well. Where were the civvies? Shouldn't they be here? This wasn't a stealth mission. This was a mission designed to show the people of Mar Sara, they didn't have to be bullied by the Dominion. Fat lot of good that would do if there weren't any people around to stand up for themselves. Maybe it was the old Raynor's luck, picking a perfect landing zone with no witnesses. He turned back to his troops.

"Alright boys, let's show the locals they don't have to fear the Dominion."

The march into town took nearly no time at all.

"Alright ladies," Sargent Cody "Gunny" Hanings barked, "Keep your intervals wide and your hinnies covered. Let's move."

However after a few more minutes, and after passing tons more empty buildings, even the Gunny was letting his guard down. There was nobody there. Absolutely empty. No patrols, no Vikings, no Marines. Worse, no Civilians.

"Don't go up that road," a voice called out to them from a nearby building. The squad turned to talk to her, but the sound a barking dog drove her back to the small shack she had been hiding in and locked the door. No matter how they tried to reassure her of her safety and of their intentions, she wouldn't even respond let alone come back out and explain her warning. Things looked bad.

However the Jimmy wasn't about to let this opportunity pass them by. If she couldn't tell them why the roads up ahead were dangerous, they'd just have to find out for themselves.

It was only five and a half more minutes up the road they ran into their first conflict. Two Dominion Marines out on Patrol, looking for something. Like the Raiders, they seemed occupied by the fact that the whole placed seemed empty. One of them took notice of Raynor and tried to shout a warning to his companion, but both were cut down in a hail of spikes before that. Then an eerie silence followed. No back up arrived. No civilians came out to see the ruckus. Nothing.

"Where the Fek is everyone?" Raynor asked aloud.

"There should be people here," Koiter replied, "This isn't the busiest time of day, but it shouldn't be dead. Something is terribly wrong."

The Gunny kicked one of the dead Marines, "Sir, this ain't no guard patrol. These boys were lookin' for somebody. And I have a funny feeling it was the missy we met back there."

"I don't like that one bit," Raynor shook his head, "Keep moving."

Raynor kept his eyes around the town. Looking at windows hoping for any sign of life. There was none. Worse, he was starting to notice some other problems. A few of the signs advertising the Dominion they passed had green paint on them calling Mengsk and his mother, ghastly names ranging from him being a liar, to….well, stuff that would make even the most hardened criminal cringe. However one sign remained unfinished. A body covered in green paint laid next to it, with a large chuck missing from his torso. Poor man never knew what hit him.

There were other signs too. Bullet holes in the housing areas. Blood stains on the road. Burned out vehicles that look like they were torn apart, likely from Viking Fire. Yet there were no more troops. No patrols no-

"My neighbors, my family…" a voice groaned.

Koiter rushed to the elderly man leaning up against the building. He was clutching his right shoulder.

"He looks pretty beat up," the kid observed, "There is a nasty bump on the back of his head."

"Can you tell us what happened here old timer?" Raynor asked the man, but the only response he got was the same phrase over and over, "My family…"

"This is starting to look ugly," Koiter groaned.

"Fek that noise," Gunny shook his head, "This is way past ugly. The Dominion didn't leave us anybody to liberate."

Raynor turned to look around. This wasn't as simple as they had hoped. There was a time constraint now, if they weren't too late already.

"Adjutant, prep a Medic to pick up a wounded to civilian in the dropship," Raynor order over his comm, "The rest of you, let's keep moving."

And so they did. Raynor hoped signs of life would be near the town square.

There was, but not the kind he was hoping for. Dominion troops had turned the square in to a large barricade. Nothing too fancy, but there were many more troops then what Jimmy's squad could handle, and they were better defended.

"What now?" Koiter asked.

"You know how to shoot that thing son?" Raynor asked the kid back.

"But we can't take a group that large by ourselves."

"Son," Raynor gave the kid a sly grin, "I've always got a card to play." The Rebel leader clicked on his communicator once again, "Adjutant, bring in that 'special delivery' I had you prep."

"Special delivery?" Koiter looked confused.

"You just worry about shooting and not getting shot back," Raynor informed the kid, "I'll take care of evening the odds. Now Raider's Roll!"

* * *

Raynor was truly a sight to behold. While most commanders Koiter had seen stayed grouped up behind their men, Marshal Raynor was the first one to charge into the town square, guns blazing. He took down one of the closest sentries before they knew he was even there, and two more before they even started firing back. By the time they did, Koiter, the Sarge, and the others had joined in the battle. They were still outnumbered, and at a disadvantage, but Koiter had decided before the battle had begun to trust in Raynor's leadership and experience.

It paid off. The disadvantage quickly turned into an advantage. The Dominion were so focused on what appeared to be a downright suicidal attack, they ignored what was happening behind them. Three drop pods hurled out of the sky, smashing down right behind the Dominions guards. Raiders and Militia bust forth from the pods firing into the backs of the Dominion troops who were only just realizing they were now the ones outmatched.

With both their flanks being assaulted, Red Suited Dominion Marines fell. The Combat high fueled Koiter as he gunned down one of them, and kept shooting without thinking. He didn't have time to think, just shoot. And he did.

The battle seemed to last hours, but when it was finally done, only a few minutes hand ticked by.

"Thanks for the assist boys," Raynor smiled as he turned to the newcomers, "I knew you wouldn't let me down Cam."

"Not a chance sir," Cam Fraser saluted, "You still owe me from our last poker game."

The squad chuckled.

"Sir," Gunny called from a nearby parking garage, "You better come see this."

* * *

Raynor approached cautiously. He was certain of what he was going to see, and that made him dread seeing all the more.

He was right. A sizable group of civilians lay dead in the middle of the garage. Bullet holes had peppered the walls behind them. Blood stained the floor. Many of the bodies had binds and were tied. A few weren't. Most were men who looked like they resisted. Some weren't. Some weren't even old enough to fight back.

Jim resisted the urge to throw up, "You've got to be Fekking kidding me!"

Cody shook his head, "Executed, ever one of them."

"Why," Raynor asked no one in particular, "Why butcher a bunch of civilian? Were they resisting? Was Mengsk making an example of them?"

"Sir I…" the Sarge started but Jimmy held up his hand.

"We'll find out soon enough. We've got a Dominion HQ to burn to the ground."

* * *

It wasn't long before the Raiders made their way out the backside of the city. Raynor was on edge. He wasn't going to be too late. He wasn't going to sit by and let the Dominion play with the locals' lives.

That's when they heard a voice over a loudspeaker, "You'll all be given a meal when you reach the dig site."

Raynor looked at the kid, who just shrugged.

Jim signaled the troops to be cautious as they crept towards the sound. Jim had just peered around the corner when it happened. A man, probably early-to-mid-twenties came running down the street. He was dressed in a work uniform that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in days. Sweat poured from the man's face as he came barreling down the road.

"Looks like we've got ourselves another runner," a Dominion Marine called out to his comrades as he aimed and fired. The bullet tore through the young man's leg. He screamed as he fell to the ground. Civilians who were lined up to board an Armored Troop Carrier turned to help their friend, neighbor, brother, total stranger but fellow Mar Sara Colonist, only to be beaten back by the guards.

The Guard who fired the shot laughed, a cold sickening laugh, "You punks never learn do ya? Guess we gotta show you again why you should just shut up and listen to us."

He aimed his walked over to the injured man and aimed a gun into the pleading man's face. Laughed at the man's begging and pain. Laughed at his suffering.

Laughed right up until he noticed Raynor's rifle shoved into his. Jimmy didn't give the man another chance to change his mind. The body fell where the man stood.

"That's Raynor! The most wanted man in the sector," one of the three remaining guards shouted. They were his last words as Koiter peppered him with spikes.

The other two Dominion guards were mowed down before they had a chance to return fire. The driver of the Transport aimed the automated gun at the civilians to use them as hostages. But the civilians weren't helpless anymore. They didn't sit by and wait for rescue. They ran to the truck's door and hauled the driver out. He was given the same mercy he and his fellow Dominion Troops had shown them.

Raynor hefted the wounded man up, and helped him back to the other locals.

"Thank you," the man cried.

"Mengsk has a lot to pay for," Raynor smiled back, "I'm just helping you collect."

"There are more people up ahead," the woman who took to the injured man from Raynor informed.

"Don't you worry," Jim replied, "I'll see to them."

* * *

Mel Forrest sat patiently in his cell. Well not a cell really, it was a small shack that he shared with some of the other locals. However the Dominion troops had been holding them there against their will for quite some time now.

He figured his time had come. There was a lot more shooting today than normal. Sure people tried to run and were gunned down, but today it sounded like the Dominion had just executed the group of Colonists they had just gathered up to "go to the dig site". Likely they'd come back and fetch some more prisoners, who would more than likely suffer the same fate.

Mel wasn't going to let it happen, but he knew he couldn't stop it. He looked at the pistol in his hands. It wasn't much, but if he was gonna die today, he was going to die fighting. Maybe if he was really lucky, someone could use him as a distraction and escape.

And go where? They'd just be found by the soldiers stationed in town and executed there.

He shook his head, at least they can he can say he resisted the best he could. If someone can gain from that, he'd take what he'd get. If that meant only delaying death for five minutes, he would.

The door creaked open and he readied the gun. The others in the "cell" moved away to give him space. A few had volunteered to stand in front of him to take the hits so he could take down a few more guards, but he convinced them to stand back.

The Marine that stepped in looked like the Grim Reaper himself. Black armor with a white Skull painted across the visor. Mel froze. He couldn't pull the trigger.

The visor opened up.

"Hope you don't mind," the man behind the visor drawled, "but we've decided to let you clock out early today.

Mel recognized the man and lowered the gun. A smile crept onto his face.

"Marshal Raynor, been a while since we saw you around these parts."

* * *

What started out as a squad of six armored troops now consisted of sixteen armored Marines, Raynor included, and about sixty-odd-some locals, armed with anything they could pick off the local guards or had kept hidden themselves.

The locals had informed their favorite Marshal that they were with him even if he didn't want them to be. Jim just smiled and told them to stay to the back so that the armored Marines take the blunt of the blast, but other than that, he was proud to have them tag along.

So they did.

The large force marched up to the front of the Dominion HQ. Many of the guards just froze at the numbers. There was only a handful left. One even threw down his weapon. The Raiders ignored him while the fired upon the other Dominion troops.

"Burn the place to the ground!" Raynor shouted to his Rebels, locals, Militia, and Raiders alike. A shot pinged of the side of his helmet making him take a step back. A local tossed a grenade passed him and took down the attacker before a second shot could be fired.

Raynor nodded to the woman, and then rushed in to join his troops, who already had the Dominion on the ropes. The Locals took to burning everything else.

Then Raynor heard the engines roaring through the sky, as two Viking Ships barreled towards them.

"Incoming!" Fraser yelled to the civvies, "Keep back!"

"Light 'em up!" Raynor ordered the Raiders. They fired into the coming transformers, as one began to shift in the sky. Raynor's Raiders didn't waste time and focused all their attention on him. By the time the vehicle had shifted from Fighter to Walker Mode, it was so shot up that it crashed down as a fireball instead.

However it took too long. The other had taken the opportunity to shift while the Raiders had been distracted. It had them exactly where it wanted. The Raiders could take the thing, but many of them would be going home in body bags afterwards.

Suddenly a grenade went off on the Viking's windshield knocking it back. More grenades and a few homemade explosives followed. The locals had ignored Cam's warning and let the Viking have everything they got. The Raiders watched as the thing broke apart before their eyes.

A loud cheer rose from the locals and rebels. The remaining Dominion troops threw down their weapons. It was over.

"We won!"

"I didn't think we could beat them but we can!"

"Now you have weapons and the resources to do it," Raynor shouted into the crowd of civilians, "Mengsk can only control you if you let him."

"Three cheers for Raynor's Raiders."

* * *

After much patting on the back and shaking of hands, Raynor finally looked about the scene. Two of his Raiders were injured in the firefight, and about 4 civilians had died. Three Dominion Troops had surrendered to the Raiders. Gunny had suggested turning them over to the locals, but Raynor decided against it. Ordinarily he would have, but because they surrendered, Raynor had hoped perhaps they had a bad taste in their mouths about the things they did here. Maybe there was hope for these three.

Speaking of taste, Raynor had was thirsty, and JoeyRay had left him a key to the bar…..


	3. Chapter 3

StarCraft

_On Liberty's Wings_

Chapter Three

_Hell Jimmy, I ain't any more capable of doing something noble than of jumping off the roof and flying._

The Bar was a mess, but kind in that I-Love-This-Bar way. Empty glasses and bottles were strung about, some on the floor and some on the tables. There was a young kid, probably a local barely old enough to drink, passed out at one table. At another table, two mechanically inclined "gentlemen" were "discussing" which of their "babies" would win in a fight. The strength of their "babies" ranged from killing hundreds of Zerg by themselves, to weight lifting Battlecruisers.

There.

A dark haired man with a recently emptied glass of what looked like Scotty Bolger's Old No. 8 Whiskey, just popped a coin into the Jukebox. The man fumbled through the songs until he selected one, brushed a fly from his face, and returned to his seat at the bar, just as the all too familiar sound of Sweet Home alla-something filled the air.

That was him. No doubt about it now.

The man in the door, wearing a fully armed CMC Powered Combat Suit marched, almost strutted, towards the bar. The bottles on the tables shook, and the two Mechanics stopped their "Discussion" to watch the man. He was big, even for a normally increased height of a man in CMC armor.

And the suit wasn't new. Oh no, it featured many scratches, dings, faded blue paint, chipped up pin-up artwork, and patched up bullet holes to be some ornery grunt. No this man was a professional, and he was definitely some form of trouble.

Worse he knew it.

The Armored man stopped within arm's length from the dark haired man, "Ya know, for the most wanted man in the sector, you ain't that hard to find."

The Dark haired man set his drink down. He knew he was at the disadvantage. Any sudden moves would result in him being blasted. Yet he wasn't gonna go down without a fight. His hand crept slowly for the revolver placed just out of reach to look harmless, yet close enough to be grabbed if needed.

The man in the CMC suit took notice, but didn't care. He just let out a bellowing laugh, "I just had to see it for myself."

Unknown to the armored man, the two Mechanics had also placed their hands on their side arms, ready to spring into action. They may not be able to take the guy down, but maybe if they could distract him long enough…..

The Helmet of the CMC suit opened up and the familiar scent of a Cigar filled the dark haired man's nose.

"Little Jimmy Raynor, the people's hero."

Raynor's hand released the revolver slowly, sweat dripped from his brow. It couldn't be, could it?

Steeling himself for disappointment, Jim put on his best poker face and glanced over his shoulder just to be sure.

It almost broke when he saw the familiar face.

"Tychus Findlay."

The big armored beast of a man laughed again and took the seat next to Jimmy's, knocking over quite a few of the empty glasses and bottles from the bar with his big arm.

"Nice suit," Jimmy mocked.

"Pays to be prepared," Tychus mocked back.

"Last I heard," Raynor continued, turning to signal to his Mechanics that everything was okay, "You had a life sentence. What, you get off early for good behavior?" The Mechanics holstered their side arms, and picked up their "debate" exactly where it had left off, as if nothing had happened.

"That's right little buddy," Findlay drawled, "I'm a model citizen now." Tychus than mashed the remains of his large cigar into the fly that had been pestering Jimmy, and now him.

Raynor couldn't help but laugh, "You? Yeah sure."

"Alright, I busted out of prison when they were shipping me off to New Folsom. Oh I must have killed a dozen or so guards with just my bare hands and a…"

"Roll of Toilet Paper," Raynor interrupted, "Yeah, I heard this one too, but you left out the part where you walked across the water and made off with the warden's daughter."

"Jimmy, you sure know how to take the fun out of a story" Tychus frowned.

"Of course I do," Raynor grinned, "So to what do I owe the pleasure of your illustrious return?"

"Just a good ol' fashioned business proposition," Tychus smirked, "Bet you don't even know what the Dominion is really doing out here."

Raynor rolled his eyes and reached out for his bottle to refill his glass, frowning when he discovered it to be empty, "I reckon you're about to tell me."

"Digging up some old alien artifacts," Tychus continued, retrieving a full bottle from the shelves behind the bar, and filling up a glass, "Seems Mengsk has a thing for 'em. However, I just happen to have a contact who will pay top dollar for ever artifact we…heh… 'Liberate' from the Dominion."

"Top Dollar," Jimmy thought allowed, trying to sound like he was barely pondering the idea. Truthfully, he would have to accept Findlay's word for it. The Raiders' funds consisted of whatever Jimmy was pulling from the Jukebox, which was half his money anyways. And Findlay's "Contacts" had never really steered them wrong before.

Except the Skulls.

And O'Bannon.

And Cassidy.

And that first guy who Jimmy couldn't remember his name who left them to get swarmed by local scavengers that Jim was sure were tipped off.

Other than that….

"Well I guess I can hardly pass that up can I Tychus?"

The Bigger man slid the glass he just filled over to Raynor, "Partners than. Sixty-Forty?"

Raynor snatched up the glass and held it up, "Seventy-Thirty. My way." He held his poker face and waited for Tychus to object getting the lesser cut. However surprisingly the bigger man didn't. Instead Tychus chewed it over for a minute and then reluctantly nodded.

"Seventy-Thirty, your way."

Raynor couldn't help but laugh, "Heh, just like old times." Held out his glass to Findlay.

Findlay picked up the bottle and clinked it against Jimmy's Glass, "Like old Times."

There was a pause for a moment as the two former outlaws, well ex-former outlaws since one was a Rebel Terrorist and the other was an escaped convict, downed their drinks.

Tychus finally broke the silence, "Short on funds I reckon. What's the matter the War for Truth and Justice get too much for ya?"

"I ain't licked yet Tychus," Jimmy responded, sliding a picture of the remains of a Viking him, his Raiders, and the Locals had taken together.

"Looks recent. This your doing?"

"Yup," Jimmy grinned, "Folks around here are ready to fight back against the Dominion."

"Huh," Findlay looked back up at Raynor, "Sounds like you take this whole Rebellion thing pretty seriously."

"Everybody needs a hobby," Jimmy replied.

The bigger man shrugs his massive shoulders, "Well whatever fires your siege tank."

"You gonna tell me where these so called Alien Artifacts are?" Raynor asked.

"Not until you say the magic word, Jimmy," Tychus wolfishly smiled.

"Alright," Raynor sighs, "I'll pay for this round."

"Jimmy, you're a wonderful terran," Findlay chuckled, "Got a map?"

Raynor reached behind the bar, but instead of coming up with a bottle, to Tychus's disappointment, brought up his portable terminal. He set the suitcase sized device upon the bar, and opens it up. The Adjutant's familiar face appears.

"Adjutant, give us an aerial view," Raynor ordered.

"At once, Commander," the hologram replied.

"Nice toy," Findlay nodded, "Borrow it from the Dominion?"

"Naw," Jimmy shook his head, "It's Confed tech. It was a gift from an old friend."

"Don't happen to have a spare do ya?"

"Nope."

Tychus feigns being hurt, "Aw, too bad."

"Just punch the coordinates you wanted to show me here," the smaller man sighs, gesturing to the keys on the computer.

"Spoilsport," Tychus rolled his eyes. He quickly punched the keys, probably a bit harder than he should have, but the terminal was didn't show any sign of wear or tear. Soon the holographic image showed….

"What's this?" Raynor scratched his beard, "This outpost don't look all that special."

"Keep your shirt on son," Tychus shushed, "See that there? It's a crane."

"Yeah, so?"

"The Dominion are ready to move the Artifact off world and they're gonna use that crane to do it," Findlay smiled.

"How do you know it's in there?" Jimmy asked.

"You notice anything odd about troop placements Jimmy?" Tychus countered.

Raynor thought back to his Raiders' last bit of combat. Most of the troops had pulled out of the city for some reason. Could the artifact be that reason?

Tychus seemed to be able to read Jimmy's thoughts, "Most of them are packing up and leaving Mar Sara. However quite a few have been sent to back guard this location, but not the other dig sites."

"That does make a lot of sense," Raynor admitted.

"Ya'll gotta have more faith in my Jimmy," Tychus boasted, "I ain't just rugged good looks you know."

"Well how did you plan to get the artifact outta here?" Jim countered.

"I figured you and your crew have to have some sort of transport," Findlay shrugged, "And I'm sure we could also liberate the equipment the Dominion are using to bring it up."

"I may have a ship nearby," the Rebel Commander nodded, "If we could get the Artifact back here using the Dominion's own equipment, I could have it off world by tomorrow morning."

"See that's the easy part," Tychus chuckled.

"How'd you plan to get said equipment?" Raynor asked, though he predicted the answer.

"That's the fun part," Findlay stood up from the bar, "We go in, shoot up the base. They may have guards, but I doubt they're expecting anyone to know about this plan. They're mostly set up to combat the locals who may rise up, not your fully armored personal army."

"You better be right about that," Jimmy shrugged, himself standing up as well, "Well let's go give those Dominion boys a wakeup call."

"Sir?" one of the two Mechanics asked, having approached the commander as he stood up.

"Earl, you think you and Law can get a landing zone set up nearby this outpost?" Raynor asked.

"Sure thing," Earl nodded, "Yo, Law, let's move."

The other Mechanic downed his drink quickly, "Woohoo, overtime."

Raynor went over to the kid still clonked out on the table, "Rise and shine Koiter. We got more Dominion troops who need their butts handed to them."

Koiter let out a groan, "Sir I think they might have already handed me mine."

Tychus laughed loudly, making Koiter cover his ears, "Well kid, being a rebel ain't always guts and glory. Down time ain't always pretty."


	4. Chapter 4

**S****tar****C****raft**

_**On Liberty's Wings**_

_Kate, I bet the locals are pretty nervous about having a notorious outlaw in their neighborhood._

_**Actually Donny, the people I talked to seemed really encouraged by the-**_

_Thanks Kate! You heard it here first - Jim Raynor, terrorizing the locals on Mar Sara. When we return, are your kids using stim-packs?_

* * *

The Squad wasn't as sizable as Raynor would have liked, but he had to manage with what he had. He was unsure if the Dominion was going to react to recently freed people of Backwater Station, and felt it was just flat out stupid to leave them without any support. This left Fraser and a large portion of his squad behind. Koiter was also left behind, because with the kid's hangover, Raynor was pretty sure it would end up being the kid's last fight if he went with them.

With the smaller amount in the squad, each Marine was all the less expendable. As such, Raynor brought three Medics along to keep his people fighting. Tychus had been against the idea, claiming it would only slow the squad down having to protect them; however Jim said they were coming or the heist wasn't getting pulled. Tychus shrugged it off.

On top of the Medics, Raynor had Law and Earl backing them up at the makeshift Command Center nearby. The two were still busy setting up when Tychus had decided to get the show on the road and start heading towards the road that led up to the dig site.

Raynor didn't like the idea of marching his forces straight in, specifically when they were already at a disadvantage, but all alternative options involved resources the Raiders couldn't pull off on such short notice, if at all.

Raynor looked over the squad as they marched behind Tychus. Including the two outlaws, there was a total of 16 Marines and 3 Medics. Not exactly the ideal size, but large enough to hold their own against a small patrol of Dominion troops. Taking on the whole Outpost, might be a bit trickier.

"Adjutant," Raynor spoke into the com in his helmet, "Keep us posted on the where-abouts of the Dominion troops."

"Yes Commander."

"If only you were so smooth with all the ladies," Tychus mocked.

"Touchy subject old man," Jim mocked back, "But you weren't so lucky with the ladies either were you?"

Tychus thought back to the last two "Girlfriend" he had before being locked up, "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Ever wonder what happened to Daisy and the rest of the folks at Wicked Wayne's?"

"Not about Daisy," Raynor spat, "but I did investigate into what happened to the place after we left. Unfortunately I heard it went under after it's too best customers stopped showing up and one of their best dancers was fired."

"Wayne fired Daisy?" Tychus laughed.

"That's what I heard anyways," Raynor shrugged.

"Who told you?" Tychus inquired.

"An old friend of ours," Raynor answered, "Marshal Wilkes Butler."

This made Tychus laugh even harder, "Butler told you!?"

"Well Butler informed the Mar Sara Marshal about the incident," Raynor grinned, "Bet he would have been surprised to find out whom that Marshal actually was."

"He didn't find out then?" Tychus adjusted the big gun on his back, "Shoot Jimmy, why ever not?"

"Never got the chance," Raynor sighed, "Buttler died not too long after I became Marshal."

There was a long pause before Tychus replied, "Shame."

The March Continued on in silence for a while. Raynor thought back to those old days where he and Findlay caused such a ruckus back on New Sydney. It was a shame he never got to tell the old Marshal who spent so much time hunting the two outlaws down how much he really respected him.

Tychus broke the silence, "Ever here what happened to Daun?"

Raynor's stomach churned at the name, "He wasn't dead?! Are you kidding me?!"

"Nope, apparently he was still breathing when Butler took me down," Findlay explained, "Kinda worried me he was locked up in the same transport I was."

"Don't tell me he's still around," Jim groaned.

"Well yes and no," Tychus continued, "He survived, for a while I reckon. Kept resisting something fierce though. Butler didn't like it. Had to call in someone special to handle him, didn't hear about him for a while. Found out he got Resocialized."

Jimmy almost stumbled, "Daun? A Resoc!?"

"Uh huh," Tychus spat, "Heard he was stationed on Tarsonis."

Raynor swore, "If he survived that, nothing can kill that guy."

"Yup," Tychus nodded.

More silence followed briefly before they were interrupted by a call from the Adjutant.

"Commander, Dominion forces are closing in on your postion."

The bigger Terran swore loudly, "And here I though we was gonna have a peaceful stroll up to the base."

Jimmy ignored Tychus and turned to his Raiders, "Take cover boys. This could get messy.

* * *

The Commander at the Dominion based kicked his feet up onto his desk. The artifact that they had been digging for was finally ready to be pulled up and shipped off. Finally he could leave this backwater fringe world.

Ever since he first was transferred to this outpost, Dominion Commander Boris Heckler had dreamed of nothing else but leaving. The weather was awful, the food was as tasteless as the people who all seemed to have it out for the Dominion forces stationed here, and the threat of the Protoss and Terrorists were so high that it wasn't even the slightest bit funny.

But that was coming to an end, as soon as the fekking artifact was brought to the surface he'd have it on board a ship and off to Korhal, or wherever they planned to study, dispose, eat, Boris didn't care what they did with it.

Suddenly, a light flickered on the console in front of him.

Groaning at the call interrupting his dreams of being on Korhal at a fancy dinner party, Heckler punched the answer key connected to the console, "What is it?!"

"Sir, one of our patrols has gone missing."

That was not a good sign. So close to the finish line and things were starting to fall apart. "What do you mean they're missing?"

"They never reached the end of their patrol," the voice on the other end of the communicator replied, "They never contacted us back. Should we send another patrol out to find them?"

"How long have they been missing?" inquired the Dominion Commander as he began chewing on the end of a pencil, an act he usually did when he was nervous.

"30 minutes sir."

"Could they have just gotten behind schedule?" Heckler continued his line of questions.

"Not likely sir. There's a good chance tha…." The voice faded out.

"Soldier? Are you still there?"

"Yes sir," a reply came back.

"What happened?"

Static came through the speaker, "Sir there seems to be some disturbance on the line."

Disturbance? Could it be Protoss cutting off their communications? No the aliens would only cut off their planetary communications. Could the Zerg have interrupted them? No those beasts were to unintelligent to pull off such a task, they would have just outright attacked.

Could it have been the locals? Not without outside help.

That could only mean one thing.

"Put the base on high alert! We're about to be ambushed by Rebel Pirates!" Heckler hollered into the speaker.

No response came back.

"Did you hear me?! Put the base on High Alert"

A voice came back through, "You mind repeatin' that?"

"Soldier I order you to put the base on High Alert!"

"Now why would ya wanna go and do a thing like that?" the voice drawled back.

"We're about to be attacked you fekking idiot!" The Dominion Commander could believe the incompetence of the man on the other end.

"Shoot," the voice replied, "You're already under attack."

A cold chill shot down the Heckler's spine, "Who is this?"

"I'll tell ya anything but my name, rank, and serial number."

"You're not one of my men are you?" Heckler managed to stammer.

"Well look at the big brain on you," the voice laughed, sending another chill creeping down the base commander's spine, "The Raider's Say Hi."

* * *

"Tychus stop playing with the comlines!" Jimmy hollered at the bigger Terran.

"Right," Tychus replied crushing the transmitter in his giant armored hand, "Boring conversation anyhow."

Bullets pinged off the Communications booth.

"Shoot Jimmy," Findlay hollered ducking behind the console, "I thought you were keeping watch!"

"Why do you think I wanted you off the fone?" Raynor hollered back ducking behind the doorway to the booth.

"I take it your boys started the party without us, I didn't even get to make any demands." Findlay feigned annoyance as he hefted up the large Mini-Gun had been Carrying all day. Raynor knew better. Tychus loved a good fight. If the game was too easy, if there weren't a few bumps in the road, Tychus Findlay didn't enjoy a heist. Now the big man didn't like flat out inconveniences or changes of plans if he could help it, but he did believe if he didn't have to shoot his gun, they were probably doing something wrong.

Admittedly, Raynor was feeling the very same thing.

"Shame," Jimmy mocked the same annoyance, "Guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way."

Findlay opened fire, the needles from his large weapon tore holes through the side of the booth and then through the unfortunate Marines on the other side who had been moving in. A few tried to double back but Jimmy popped around the corner of the booth and fired on them as they turned to run.

"Don't let 'em regroup," Raynor hollered to Tychus.

"I hear ya buddy," Tychus hollered back, "Or should I say 'sir' in this situation?"

"You don't say anything," Jimmy shook his head, "You let your rifle do the talking"

"It ain't a rifle Jimmy."

"I don't care, keep shooting!"

Soon what remains of the Dominion forces fell back to the large central building that acted as the Command Center.

Jimmy and Tychus met up with the rest of the Raiders' attack squad, luckily nobody had gotten hurt too badly thanks to the medics.

Unfortunately…

"Dang Jimmy," Tychus groaned, "There's like forty guys left outside the building, and a couple of them Hellions."

"I hadn't noticed," Raynor rubbed his temples, "Just gimme a minute I'll think of something."

"Better think of something fast," Findlay turned to him, "It won't be too long before they catch on that we're the smaller group."

"I vaguely remember this being your idea," James hissed, though at the same time he couldn't hide his grin.

"Shoot, thirty percent doesn't qualify you for me thinking, just shooting and looking pretty."

* * *

Heckler was sweating buckets, but did his best to look as if he wasn't. After finally getting the word that it was Raynor's Raiders that had attacked his outpost, he knew it was only a matter of time before they found a way into the Command Center. Unfortunately for them Heckler wouldn't be there.

"Those fekking Pirates won't get away with this for long," Heckler assured himself, "This is just a strategic withdrawal until reinforcements arrive."

The Two Marine Bodyguards looked at each other. One of them spoke, "Uh sir, shouldn't we be fighting back?"

"Don't be daft," the commander snarled at him, "They may appear to be a smaller number but their leader is a tactical genius as well as a madman. He has something up his sleeve. Could even be Nukes. That's it, he's just trying to keep us here so he can Nuke the facility."

"But then couldn't we bust through with our-.."

"Soldier, you don't get to my position without knowing what you are talking about, don't question my orders," Heckler growled as he shoved another priceless bottle in his bag.

The two body guards rolled their eyes. Heckler wished they had been Resocs.

Finally Boris Heckler was read to abandon his post. He turned to his guards and nodded, "Alright boys, out the back."

* * *

"Commander Raynor," one of the blue cladded Marines spoke up, "There seems to be some sort of strange activity going on in the back of the facility.

Jimmy turned to his Raider, "What do you mean?"

"Looks like more guards are moving to cover the back. It appears a large number of them are leaving."

Tychus chuckled, "I don't believe it, their chickening out."

"It can't be that easy can it," Raynor peaked over the rock they were using as cover, "There is no way that they….well tan my hide, they are pulling out."

And sure enough Quite a sizeable portion of the Dominion Marines and Hellions began falling back.

"They haven't realized they have us outgunned?" one of the Raiders questioned.

"Could be a trap," another suggested.

"Not all of them are pulling out," one of the medic pointed out.

"And they're the ones that stand between us and that artifact," Raynor grinned, "Let's hit 'em hard before they have a chance to rethink their strategy!"

"I thought you'd never ask," Tychus cheered as he climb up on top of the large boulder. He began firing towards the Dominion troops.

Two of the enemy Hellions charged as a response. Findlay focused all his fire on one of them. The bullets pierced the metal and riddled into the driver inside. The vehicle swerved side to side before bursting into a ball of fire. Tychus laughed.

His laughter was cut short when a stream of flame shot past his shoulder. Even through his armor, the big Terran could feel the heat.

"Lil' help here Jimmy!" Tychus nearly yelped as he hopped back down behind his perch.

"Alright boys, clean up time," Jimmy snapped his order. The Raiders jumped from behind their cover and began firing on the Dominion Hellion. Bullets peppered the windshield and tore into the tires. The Hellion fired back, its flame enveloped one of the Raiders. He screamed as the fires cooked him in his armor and began burning it away. Another Raider tackled him, shoving him out of the fire.

Raynor swore as he grabbed one of the explosives attached to the "belt" of his armor. Quickly pulling the pin, he lobbed it towards the Hellion, then in the same motion raises his Rifle and fired again.

The detonation engulfed the Dominion Vehicle. The Raiders slowly lowered their weapons as a Medic checked on the two burned Raiders. Raynor spits and looks back towards the Command Center, only to his surprise, and yet at the same time not, Findlay firing on the remaining Marines. Jim had seen the man do remarkable feats before, and once again Old Tychus was apparently biting off more than he could chew, and was winning.

"Raiders Roll!" James Raynor barked his order.

The Raiders who weren't injured or the attending medic, turned their attention back towards the Command Center. They charged guns blazing towards it. Puffs of Dirt rose in the air marking where the returning bullets crashed around their feet. A few Raiders fell down, One even managed to bring himself back to his feet and kept going. The remaining Medics did their best to tend to the wounded, putting up their large White Shields in hopes to protect from the incoming hailstorm from the Dominion's Slug-throwers.

The Raiders kept firing into the Dominion Defenders. From Raynor's position he couldn't tell how much damage was being done of even if his guys were hitting anyone, but he trusted his men to shoot and do their job. Tychus was the only wild card there, but Jim owed Findlay his life, and trusted the man just as much as any of the Raiders.

Jimmy kept his focus instead on the enemies he could see. Firing at them and changing targets when they fell. His focus had been so deep it wasn't until Tychus's booming voice announced their victory that Raynor had realized they had triumphed.

He looked to his troops. Many of them wore the same expression, disbelief on the ease of their victory. Yet soon that disbelief faded, and the Raiders began crying out in cheer. Raynor took count, of the 16 that had gone out, 1 had had been severely burned, but thanks to the quick acting of one of his comrades he'd was still with the Raiders. 4 more had fallen during the raid on the Command Center, 1 had gotten up again and 1 had fired from where they fell. Only 2 Raiders had fallen and weren't ever getting up again.

Tychus gave Raynor a hard slap on the back, "Looks like the Dominion cleared out Jimmy."

"I can't believe they just packed up and left," Jim sighed in both relief and a bit of anger.

"Yeah, looks like the luck of the Heaven's Devils Holds true," Tychus looked over the battlefield, "You think the Outpost Commander has a liquor cabinet?"

"You really thinking of drinking?"

"Two good men ain't goin' home Jimmy," the large Terran lit up another Cigar and placed it between his teeth, "They deserve a toast before we pack up our prize."

A smile crept onto Raynor's face, "Growin' soft on me Tychus?"

"I knew some Pansy back in the Military, some farm boy," Findlay paused to exhale some smoke, "Dumb kid, but he kinda rubbed off on me."

* * *

Heckler's Squad marched into the wasteland that had surrounded the outpost. That's where the mutiny took place. After finding out how cowardly their commander was the Dominion Troops turned on their leader and the few Resocs that had remained loyal to him. One of the Resocs had been killed in the ensuing firefight before the loyal troops were disarmed and kicked out of the squad. The Squad then headed back towards Backwater.

Only Boris and two loyalists remained. Bother had been Resocialized, which on fortunately meant they would only do what he said, making him have to put forth the effort to keep himself alive. Worse still the traitors had taken his bag, containing his valuables and survival equipment.

The wastelands around them were hot, bleary, and void of life. The Squad, if you could call it one, kept their march towards the emergency planet hopper Heckler had hidden out there in case of such a catastrophe.

A wicked grin formed on his face when it finally appeared on the horizon.

The grin faded quicker than it appeared when he noticed the ground not too far from it had a very peculiar color to it.

It appeared to be alive.

Behind him one of the Resoc's screamed in agony when a scythe like arm pierced through the back of his neck.

Heckler turned to the other shouting orders to him to open fire only to discover the man's head nothing but a bloody mess on his shoulders.

Boris Heckler turned to run, but something grappled his leg. More accurately tore it right off his hip. He cries out in agony and fear as the attackers begin ripping him apart.

Then as quickly and quietly as they appeared, burrowing into the ground, waiting for the orders to attack to bring them swarming from their holes.

Swarming and consuming everything in their path.


End file.
